Changan Ford Mazda CEO Marin Burela says that he expects the Chinese automobile market to grow between five and ten percent this year, and that it may even break the 20 million sales barrier, the Guangzhou Daily reported today. Mr. Burela made the statements following a recent press conference, where he stated that by 2020 there may be up to 28 million vehicles sold in the country. Mr. Burela added that 70 percent of Ford's sales in the future are expected to come from the Asia-Pacific region, with China being the core market.

As for Changan Ford Mazda's plans this year, Mr. Burela (pictured below) confirmed that previously announced plans to introduce 15 new models by 2015 have not changed. Among them, he announced that the Kuga compact crossover (pictured above) will be introduced as a domestically manufactured model. Mr. Burela believed the Kuga will help the joint venture attract buyers in the compact segment, which was valued at approximately five million vehicles last year.

However, Mr. Burela admitted that the JV has been progressing relatively slowly in the past. In the next five to ten years, he said, Changan Ford will attempt to be among China's best joint ventures. The JV already has 425 dealerships across the country active in its sales network.